"Why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"
(Luke 1:44)
A Rosary is a string of prayer bead used to aid a Christian in contemplative prayer. There are 15 traditional mysteries and five additional "Luminous" mysteries. These mysteries account different scenes in the life of Jesus. The one praying will meditate on these mysteries or a small group of them throughout the prayer. This way the prayer works to reveal the life of Christ. The Rosary is meant as an expression of "Lectio Divina" (Sacred Reading) in that you should be contemplating Christ in Scriptural scenes.
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The mysteries are as follows:
Glorious:
- the Resurrection
- the Ascension
- the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost)
- the Assumption of Mary (see earlier post)
- The Coronation of the Virgin
Joyful:
- the Annunciation (when the Angel Gabriel visits Mary announcing the birth of our Savior)
- the Visitation (when Mary visits Elizabeth and St. John the Baptist jumps for joy: Luke 1)
- the Nativity (the birth of Jesus Christ in the manger)
- the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
- the Finding of Jesus at the Temple
Sorrowful:- the Agony in the Garden
- the Scourging at the Pillar
- the Crowning with Thorns
- the Carrying of the Cross
- the Crucifixion
- the Baptism of Jesus
- the Wedding Feast at Cana
- the Proclamation of the Kingdom
- The Transfiguration
- the Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper
It is a Marian devotion because as you are meditating on the mysteries, you are supposed to say ten "Hail Mary's" for each of the mysteries. However, before I explain why we pray they "Hail Mary's" or why Catholics pray to Mary, I want to show the origins of the Rosary.
The Rosary finds its origins in the 1200's with St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominicans (a religious order). Mary appeared to St. Dominic and told him that the Rosary would be a great weapon against evil. He was to use it in prayer and preaching. It was used early on in preaching by having a sermon be given on one of the mysteries and then the public would pray ten "Hail Mary's" and then they wold proceed to the next mystery.
The Rosary has always had an attachment to the Laity. Throughout the 1200-1500's, towns and communities formed around Monasteries. During that time, Monks would pray all 150 Psalms every day and the Monastery would ring bells at the beginning of every Psalm. Soon the Laity started praying a "Hail Mary" for every Psalm the Monks would pray.This is why the "traditional" Rosary has 150 Psalms. This Rosary would include all three of the traditional mysteries.
As of 1475, the Rosary took the shape of what we pray today. In 1569, the Rosary became an official prayer of the Catholic Church by Apostolic Constitution. However, it wasn't until 1917 was the Fatima prayer added to the Rosary.
So what does the Rosary look like today:
The official (minimum) prayer is one "Our Father", ten "Hail Mary's", and one "Glory Be". These are said five times
Start with the first mystery (lets just say the Resurrection in the Glorious Mysteries) and meditate on it
saying the "Our Father", or "Lord's Prayer"
(which can be found in Matthew 6)
"Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen."
then ten times say
(The Hail Mary can be found partially in Luke 1:28)
"Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death."
end with
"Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now,
and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen."
Optional: "the Fatima Prayer" given by Mary in an apparition
"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy."
This is one "decade" of the Rosary. There are five decades to go with the five mysteries. So you'd repeat what was above five times, each time meditating on one the mysteries.
So why the Marian devotion? Why does it seem that this prayer is all about Mary?First off, the Rosary is not all about Mary. Every prayer to Mary is "to Christ through Mary". It seems in Scripture that Mary has a special connection to Jesus as His Mother. As Mother of God, she can intercede, or ask requests of Jesus, for us faithful on Earth. Take a look at John 2:3:
"When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'they have no wine.' and Jesus said to her, 'O woman, what have you do with me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.'"
We see in this Scriptural scene, also one of the Luminous mysteries, that Mary intercedes for the married couple and asks Jesus to help them. In our prayer lives we do not always know what we need to ask for. I know it seems like we always know what we want, but often times in my life I have wanted things that aren't what I really needed. Mary asks Jesus to supply us with all of our needs. She is our constant intercessor. She never stops asking for Jesus to supply us for what we need. She asks even before we know we need anything.
I would encourage you to try praying a Rosary, or a decade if a whole Rosary is too much, or even just one "Hail Mary". Ask Mary to pray for you. Trust that Jesus will answer His mother. Marian devotions are a great way to deepen your prayer life and help you to have confidence in your prayer to God. It was Pope John Paul the Second's favorite prayer.
It always helps to have friends pray for you here on Earth, just imagine how nice it is to have Jesus' mother, and all the other saints in Heaven praying for you. They are the ones who are literally always in the presence of the Blessed Trinity.
Mother of Jesus, pray for us on your feast of your Queenship!
AMDG
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